This Study Just Uncovered a MAJOR Dating Deal Breaker

Dating someone new can be full of highs and lows as you learn about your new fling. There’s choosing a place you should never go on a first date and the awkwardness that ensues, and navigating those first little arguments (then learning how to apologize). Many of us have dating deal breakers, from being too close to an ex to realizing you don’t have any shared interests. Here’s another common deal breaker for you: A recent study conducted by UC Berkeley and Handy, an on-demand cleaning service, showed that being messy is a major cause of breakups in America. More than 15 percent of Americans surveyed confessed that yes, they’ve ditched their new boo after seeing their home for the first time.

In the study, Dr. Lindsay T. Graham, a social psychologist from UC Berkeley, worked with Handy, questioning customers who date across 22 states. Arizona, Ohio and Washington DC top the list of states where people are the most put off by their date’s dirty dishes, lack of toiletries (no toilet paper? No thanks!) and unmade bed. Even worse than dirty dishes in the sink, which 16 percent of respondents aren’t cool with? Dirty dishes in the living room — 40 percent of people said they’d ditch their date over.

We have to admit, not being able to overlook a cluttered apartment makes sense when you consider that a whopping 67 percent of people surveyed said that they look at their date’s home as a way to measure how compatible they are. This rang especially true in New York, where 77 percent of millennial respondents stressed how important they take the cleanliness of their own digs and how strongly they evaluate their date’s place too.

The takeaway here is two-fold. First, know that you’re definitely not alone if you’ve called it quits with a great date after a visit to their sloppy pad. Second, realize that this new info shows that your date DOES notice those dishes piled high or the dust bunnies you know are forming in the hall. Take a few minutes to get your place in tip-top shape to make a great first impression.

Have you broken up with someone over how messy they are? Or are you the messy one? Tell us the literally dirty deets @BritandCo!

Krista Gray is a web producer and freelance writer who lives in San Francisco. When she's not working with clients through her company GoldSquare, she loves reading, traveling, and learning new things.